An 20-year veteran of Baltimore County Public Schools, Jamel Jernigan has served students in excellence in the capacities of Principal, Assistant Principal, Mathematics Department Chair, and as a highly qualified secondary Mathematics Instructor. Jamel holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a concentration in Secondary Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a Master of Arts in School Improvement Leadership from Goucher College.  As a current high school principal, Jamel leads a diverse and dynamic school community with great success, while also serving in the capacity of Principal Mentor to a number of her peers.   

 

As a school leader, Jamel has overseen and actively participated in the design of a 40 million-dollar full-occupied school renovation of her campus.  During this process, Jamel advocated for students by ensuring that the renovation included safety and accessibility features that supported creating a safe school climate for all learners.  She also lobbied for and ultimately succeeded in obtaining technology upgrades that created 21st-century learning spaces for students.   

 

Jamel has launched and refined the first Early College Magnet Program in Baltimore.  In collaboration with partners from the Community College of Baltimore County, Jamel has led her team to develop master scheduling, course sequencing, logistics, professional development, and student support structures to initiate and sustain the program.  Under Jamel’s leadership, her school graduated the 1st cohort of Early College Magnet Program scholars in June 2021, the first students in the state to graduate while earning both a high school diploma and Associate of Arts Degree simultaneously.  

 

A student-focused and data-driven leader, Jamel models compassionate leadership in her daily interactions with over 2000 students and 200 staff.  She has built a school climate plan that has proven successful in lowering student suspension and chronic absenteeism rates while maintaining a safe and orderly school campus. Under her leadership, Jamel’s school has achieved gains in Advanced Placement participation rate, state test scores, percentage of students achieving honor roll, and building stakeholder collaboration for a positive school climate.    

 

Jamel has a unique and keen understanding of the importance of compassionate leadership.  A product of the Baltimore City Public School system, Jamel has overcome a multitude of challenges to achieve her dream of becoming a high school principal.  In seeking her consultancy, clients benefit from the coaching of an educational leader who has experienced the struggles of urban schools both personally and professionally.  School Leaders will benefit from the coaching of a veteran school leader who has a proven track record of success in her field and who is immersed in the work alongside them in these unprecedented times.